Lucy’s POV
In commemoration of the changing of powers, a celebration was held in Moongrowl. I didn’t know why a celebration was necessary for something so simple, but I didn’t have a say in it. The people of Moongrowl demanded a medium they could use to get to know the people who were now in charge of them, so who were we to refuse?
The event was put together hastily, but on the actual day, the execution was carried out with complete precision that no one would have guessed that we planned it in less than three days.
We also got the news that the triplets’ cousins were coming all the way from a distant pack to attend the event, so, everything had to be perfect, unless we were looking for a way to get publicly scrutinized for poor event management.
Ultimately, we did our very best, and I couldn’t care less about a posh family making commentary about it.
With a tired sigh, I twirled the wine left in my glass, thinking about all the other things I could have been doing right then in that moment. Did I really have to even attend in the first place? The pack members had already made it claear more than once that they weren’t going to be bothered to acknowledge the position I held with in the pack, and that whatever hierarchy I sat on couldn’t erase my origins.
I sipped the last of the sparkling wine, relishing the sickenly sweet taste of grape and fermented sugar. Lazily, I looked around the gently lit hall, and over the dozens of people in ballgowns and dress suits either talking, dancing, or secretly slipping away into the shadows do engage in acts not meant for places with light. I tried to find a servant carrying more wine-filled glasses, but found none.
Since I craved more of the sweetness I was certain couldn’t have been good for me, I just had to get more. I needed something to keep me company during the event.
I rose to my feet and made my way across the hall, searching for where I could get a refill, when two people stepped directly into my path out of nowhere.
One of them was a tall man with beards struggling to adequately line his jaw, and the other stood a woman with eyes too sharp at the corners to have been of European descent. An exotic look we only came across once in a blue moon.
“Hello?” I said, looking at both of them and trying to keep irritation off my face. From the way they stood tall and proud, they weren’t leaving my path anytime soon.
The man looked to the woman beside him, and then back to me, “I didn’t think we’d have been able to find her so quickly, but luck appears to be on our side, sister,” he said haughtily. He lifted his nose a few inches higher, and stared at me. “You must be the widow ourdear uncle left behind-his soul rest in peace. Isn’t she a precious little thing, Gert?”
“I can see exactly why he plucked her right from when he saw her,” Gert, apparently, giggled, leaning close and taking a lock of my hair between her fingers.
I created distance between myself and them, already unsettled by their presence. “Can I help you?”
“No you cannot,” said Gert, before putting the cigar in her hand into her mouth and taking a huge puff out of it. She blew the smoke directly into my face. “What we require cannot be given to us by . . . outsiders.”
I was getting tired of their poor attempt at a civil conversation. “Alright then, if you’ll excuse me-”
The man grabbed my hand. “We’re not done with you yet, miss. Where are our cousins?”
It was then it occurred to me who they were. “Oh, you’re the . . . Visitors.”
Gert rolled her eyes. “We’ve been away for only a few years and we’re already considered visitors, hm. Father will not be pleased when he hears this.”
I pulled my hand away from the man’s too-tight grasp. Every moment I spent with them had turned into torture. “They’re around here somewhere. I’m sure you’ll be able to find your way around,” I said, before walking past them without another consideration.
“Ugh, how rude,” the man hissed from behind me, but I was too annoyed to even care.
Who did they think they were, being so condescending towards me? It had been such a while since I faced such blatant disrespect, but what else had I been expecting from people who knew nothing about me except what they had been told? To many, as long as my people remained slaves to Moongrowl Pack, I was never going to be considered as a worthy individual.
My angry thoughts dissipated when I caught sight of Tessa at a distant corner of the hall, locked in conversation with the Halfling boy, whose name I’d learnt was Reed. Even from afar, I could see the slightly rosy tint on her cheeks as she bit into a slice of cake.
I smiled to myself, content that at least someone I cared about was having fun.
Reed pointed to something afar excitedly, and went after it, pulling Tessa along. I watched their young forms leave the hall before I faced my own business.
At least, I finally found a place to get more wine. I leaned against the wall I had chosen as my shelter, sipping what I could before another person thought to interrupt me.
“You look beautiful,” a calm, gentle voice said.
“Thank you, Scott,” I said with a smile as he stepped into view. He had to bend his head a little to fit into the enclosure I had hidden myself. “How are you enjoying the event?”
His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Alright. Too many pretentious people here, though.”
“I can agree with that,” I said, recalling my encounter with his cousins. “I think your cousins are here already. They were looking for you.”
A small smile curved his lips. “They’re not very intelligent, so I apologise for whatever horrors might have spewed from their mouths.”
I nearly choked on my wine trying to hold in laughter. Already, the night didn’t seem so bad after all. “I was not expecting that.”
“It’s the truth.”
A brief silence passed between us, but inside my head was very loud with unsaid words and questions.
He turned to me, beautiful face partially illuminated by the soft golden artificial lights. “You know, there’s no one that’s ever made me feel the way you do.”
My breath shook, and my heart picked up its pace.
He continued, “Even though I know that the mate bond plays a part in what I feel, it still doesn’t change the fact that you’ve touched something deep inside of me. And I’m grateful for that.”
Was he trying to confess his feelings towards me? If he was, I wasn’t sure doing so was the best thing. “Scott . . .”
His smile became wider than I had ever seen it, and it was a glorious thing to behold. Light poured out of his eyes. “I understand, Lucy. You can’t love us all the same way.” He reached out to caress my cheek. “He was the one that tugged at your heart first, so it’s only natural that he’s the one you’ve chosen.”
Scott, the most perceptive of all three brothers. How could I have thought he wouldn’t have noticed?
Almost like a feather’s touch, he pressed his lips to my forehead. He pulled away so fast that I almost thought I imagined it. “I can’t dictate your choices, but from what I’ve seen, and what I know, you two belong together.”